Images: www.petercookphoto.com
AFTER AN ABSENCE OF ALMOST 30
YEARS, JRA’S SENSITIVE REFURBISHMENT
HAS MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR THE FT TO
RETURN TO THIS ICONIC BUILDING.
At the Cannon Street entrance, JRA has sensitively restored the
classical features of the building whilst improving accessibility
and strengthening the connection between the old and
newer sections of the site. The ‘Hollington Staffordshire’ pink
sandstone cladding – an integral part of the FT’s salmon pink
branding – has been repaired and cleaned as part of the
refurbishment work and referenced in the use of new pink
paviours on the roof levels of both 1950s wings.
At roof level, JRA has returned to Richardson’s inspiration, the
Palazzo Carignano in Turin, to create the undulating form of
the landscaping for a new roof terrace, delivering a significant
area of outdoor space for occupants of the building in the heart
of the City. Now complete, the ‘fifth elevation’, as originally
envisioned by Michael Hopkins, provides 21,500 sq ft of open
space, featuring planting, seating and a rooftop promenade
against the backdrop of St Paul’s Cathedral. JRA delivered the
base building and Cat A works for Obayashi Corporation and
used Building Information Modelling (BIM) level two on the
project to assist with design coordination and to manage clash
detection. The finished model contains over 27,000 items
charting every aspect of the construction, which will enable
repairs and replacements to be carried out effectively in the
future. Cat B fit-out was undertaken by Perkins + Will on behalf
of the Financial Times Group.
www.jra.co.uk